Fishpork’s 25 Favorite Tracks of 2011
Jeff Mangum came out of hiding to officially release some brilliant old tracks from the archives, Keaton Henson put out an achingly powerful single from 2010′s self-released Dear…, and a lot of deaf music reviewers shit on The Strokes latest collection of songs (except for us, of course). 2011 welcomed back our all-time favorite artists and introduced us to new favorites. Narrowing down the year’s best was especially difficult this time around, but here is our very biased list of 25 favorite tracks from 2011 (give the page a minute to load the embedded clips):
1. Neutral Milk Hotel – “Ferris Wheel on Fire”
2. Keaton Henson – “You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are”
3. The Strokes – “Machu Picchu”
4. Feersum Ennjin – “Hate The Sun”
5. Modeselektor – “Pretentious Friends”
6. HEALTH – “Goth Star (Pictureplane cover)”
7. Tapes ‘n Tapes – “Nightfall”
8. M83 – “Midnight City”
9. SONOIO – “Enough”
10. Radiohead – “Codex”
11. Panda Bear – “Alsatian Darn”
12. Keaton Henson – “Strawbear”
13. The Antlers – “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out”
14. The Strokes – “Taken For A Fool”
15. M+A – “Liko Lene Lisa”
16. Tapes ‘n Tapes – “Badaboom”
17. Modeselektor – “Grillwalker”
18. The Horrors – “Still Life”
19. Saul Williams – “Triumph”
20. Amanda Palmer – “Map Of Tasmania”
21. Atlas Sound – “Mona Lisa”
22. Adebisi Shank – “Century City”
23. Puscifer – “Monsoons”
24. Battles – “Ice Cream”
25. Givers – “Noche Nada”
Jeff Mangum @ Paramount Theater
While this past Monday’s Jeff Mangum show at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park fell under the guise of ATP’s weekend-long I’ll Be Your Mirror music festival, it was available to non-ATP attendees and served as a separate event from the weekend festivities. And did it ever deserve its own night! We attended both Friday and Sunday performances and were expecting more of the same. What we got was something even better. [Photo via relaxing]
The night before Jeff hinted that Scott Spillane’s horn section would return one of these days after a vague reply to a question from the audience. I figured maybe Scott and fellow Elephant Sixers may join each others’ sets at Mangum’s curated ATP Festival in Minehead in December, since all members of Neutral Milk Hotel would already be playing with their current and respective projects. Instead, Jeff surprised all by inviting Jeremy Barnes’ (Neutral Milk Hotel drummer) Hawk and a Hacksaw, who served as the opening act, on stage for two songs. The first guest appearance was mid-set during “April 8th” from NMH’s On Avery Island. The second appearance by Barnes and company was during “The Fool,” the final song during Jeff’s two-song encore. Jeff alone with his acoustic guitar is a revelation, but to hear these songs more fully realized left us hoping we’d get to see a Neutral Milk Hotel reunion one of these days. Beyond that, would we be greedy to hope for new music as well? Probably. However, Jeff did leave that door open on Friday night when asked if he would ever write music again. “If my heart is in it” was his response.
Jeff seemed much more comfortable this time out. He appeared flat-footed and reserved during the first two performances earlier in the weekend but was moving about during Monday’s show. His requests for sing-alongs were now demands … “If you know the words, sing the fucking song.” And he seemed confident throughout. After a few quick exchanges between songs, he told the audience, “I’m going to go back to doing what I’m good at.” Another highlight of the night included the second ever performance of “Little Birds.” Hear a stream of the rare live performance of the song below [via Tyler Coates]
Check out Monday’s set list at the bottom of the page. Jeff has a few more dates in 2011, but you may need to hit Stubhub if you don’t already have tix. Most of the shows are sold out. Fortunately for some, he’s just added a second show in Jersey City in November. See the rest of his tour dates below:
Oct 29 New York, NY Town Hall SOLD OUT
Nov 5 Jersey City, NJ Loew’s Jersey Theatre (just added)
Nov 6 Jersey City, NJ Loew’s Jersey Theatre SOLD OUT
Nov 30 Dublin, IRE Whelan’s SOLD OUT
Dec 2 – Dec 4 Minehead, UK All Tomorrow’s Parties Curated by Jeff Mangum at Butlins Holiday Centre SOLD OUT
Dec 8 London, UK Union Chapel SOLD OUT
Dec 9 London, UK Union Chapel SOLD OUT
September Fresh Pork Cuts
September 18, 2011 by Mark
Filed under Featured, Fresh Pork Cuts
Tracklist:
1. “Revival” by Talkdemonic
2. “The Same Thing” by Cass McCombs
3. “Breathe Deep” by Echo Lake
4. “Goth Star (Pictureplane cover)” by HEALTH
5. “Terra Incognita” by Atlas Sound
6. “Nervous” by Pikachunes
7. “Come to the City” by War On Drugs
8. “Ferris Wheel on Fire” by Neutral Milk Hotel
MP3s: “Oh Sister” and “Ferris Wheel on Fire” by Neutral Milk Hotel
August 29, 2011 by Mark
Filed under Featured, MP3s, Upcoming Releases
Beginning November 22, 15 previously unreleased Neutral Milk Hotel tracks will be made available on their brand new site WalkingWallofWords.com. The band will distribute the never-before-heard tracks using the pay-what-you-want sales model using Bandcamp. The site includes some other goodies, including an incredibly-complete, all-vinyl box set for $88 and some original Jeff Mangum prints, which are already sold out. If you are on the fence about buying a box set, know that $1 of every purchase goes towards the Children of the Blue Sky charity. If you can’t wait until November 22 for the new NMH tracks, there are two already streaming on the site. You can download Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Oh Sister” here and “Ferris Wheel on Fire” here or stream them both below:
Don’t forget to support Jeff on his upcoming tour.
New Neutral Milk Hotel Website Breaks the Intrawebs
All Tomorrow’s Parties shared news of a new Neutral Milk Hotel website that showcases previously unheard recordings, a brand new box set, and a new podcast series by none other than Jeff Mangum! Unsurprisingly, the site underestimated the aftershock of such an announcement and launch. If you attempt to go to www.walkingwallofwords.com, you will get the following error message: “the server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.” We’re patiently waiting for the web servers to go back up and those responsible to get things back in order. Sign me up for a box set, please!
Update: The site is now up again. And you can listen to two previously unreleased studio tracks right away!
MP3: “Oh Comely (Live in Toronto)” by Jeff Mangum
Canadian-based Southern Souls does recording work similar to our friend NYCTaper in New York. Last week, they attended Jeff Mangum’s second show of his current comeback tour. It’s probably the best quality live recording we’ve heard in some time from the former Neutral Milk Hotel frontman and adds to our anticipation for his special guest appearance at ATP Asbury in October and other shows in NJ. While you can hear the entire set over at Southern Souls, download “Oh Comely (Live in Toronto)” by Jeff Mangum here or stream it below:
Elf Power/Gerbils Trio Set to Open for Jeff Mangum
Elephant 6 senior alums Andrew Rieger and Scott Spillane will open for Neutral Milk Hotel mastermind Jeff Mangum on his upcoming US and Canadian tour. Rieger and Spillane will be joined by Laura Carter (Elf Power) and will perform as an acoustic trio, playing both songs from the Elf Power and Gerbils catalog. Most of Mangum’s tour is already sold out. See the complete listing below:
Aug 8 Burlington, VT First Unitarian Church SOLD OUT
Aug 10 Montreal, QC Cabaret du Mile-End SOLD OUT
Aug 12 Toronto, ON Trinity St. Paul’s United Church SOLD OUT
Aug 13 Toronto, ON Trinity St. Paul’s United Church SOLD OUT
Sept 07 Northampton, MA Academy of Music Theatre
Sept 09 Cambridge, MA Sanders Theatre at Harvard University SOLD OUT
Sept 10 Boston, MA Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory SOLD OUT
Sept 26 Baltimore, MD 2640 Space at St. John’s Church SOLD OUT
Sept 27 Baltimore, MD 2640 Space at St. John’s Church w/ A Hawk and A Hacksaw SOLD OUT
Sept 30 Asbury Park, NJ ATP America – Paramount Theatre
Oct 2 Asbury Park, NJ ATP America – Paramount Theatre
Oct 3 Asbury Park, NJ Paramount Theatre SOLD OUT
Oct 29 New York, NY Town Hall SOLD OUT
Nov 6 Jersey City, NJ Loew’s Jersey Theatre SOLD OUT
Nov 30 Dublin, IRE Whelan’s SOLD OUT
Dec 2 – Dec 4 Minehead, UK
Dec 8 London, UK Union Chapel SOLD OUT
Dec 9 London, UK Union Chapel SOLD OUT
Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise @ Knitting Factory
It was a nostalgic trip into the depths of our indie fandom on Monday night, as the Athens-based heroes from the Elephant 6 collective treated a sold out crowd at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory to the best of their eclectic discography. It was the first of three sold out shows in NYC. The night was highlighted by some of the stronger tracks in the Elephant 6 vault. Elite players from The Olivia Tremor Control (Will Cullen Hart & Bill Doss) and Elf Power (Andrew Rieger) often overshadowed the rest of the collective.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter, as the lesser known projects were front and center just as much as the established. Neutral Milk Hotel alums, Scott Spillane (The Gerbils) and Julian Koster (The Music Tapes), were given ample stage time for their offbeat, experimental projects. There was a sense of complete democracy among the players, which is part of the appeal of the group of indie veterans. The night was interestingly complimented by odd, seemingly acid-induced storytelling from Koster and a giant snowman stage left. During a trip outside to make a phone call, I rubbed shoulders with Jeff Mangum. Yes, he was there but did not play. I suppose we’ll be able to wait until his Fall tour, which include four NJ dates!
[photos via Eardrum NYC]
UPDATE: nyctaper has posted an excellent quality recording of the entire show here.
MP3: “Round Again (featuring Jeff Mangum)” by Circulatory System
The Earth stops spinning when news of new music by Jeff Mangum hits the indie music blogosphere. As promised by Circulatory System frontman Will Cullen Hart, their new album features contributions from the Neutral Milk Hotel mastermind. He plays drums on this. No, we don’t get to hear his voice, but this does hint that he’s putting his reclusive past behind him and digging in with his creative heals. And let me say that the new track is repeat-worthy. You can download “Round Again (featuring Jeff Mangum)” by Circulatory System here or stream it below:
Did you know you can stream Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, in its entirely, on LaLa?
MP3: “Two-Headed Boy (Robin Pecknold cover)” by Neutral Milk Hotel
During a headlining set at Neumos in Seattle, Fleet Fox Robin Pecknold treated fans to a cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Two-Headed Boy.” The gig was in support of a charity called the Vera Project, which raised money for a youth music and arts center. Download the track here or stream it below: